On the edge of irony
by DeathByStereo17
Summary: When Mayor Vlad finally gets Danny Phantom banished fron Amity Park, Danny vowes he will never return. But 18 years later, his family needs him more than ever. When Danny finally returns, he brings someone they never expected. His daughter. D/S fluff
1. Goodbye

"Get out" a man yelled from the crowd.

"Yeah, we don't want you here" another screamed at him. For the first time in his 18 years, Danny wanted to actually hurt someone. But he knew he couldn't, so he continued floating above the crowd with an unbelieving look on his face. He had noticed a crowd that gathered around City Hall and flew over to investigate; only to find out that 'Mayor' Vlad had called an emergency town meeting, and he was the main subject. Finally grew fed up with all the shouting.

_I'm everything you know  
You wonder friend of foe  
I'm the burning in your throat when you swallow_

"Why" he screamed back. "All this time I've been trying to protect you. What have I ever done to hurt you?"

"You destroy our town, that's what" said a male voice, smooth and calm. "And you endanger innocent citizens with your so called 'heroics'. Just face it, your not welcome here and you never were" Vlad smiled evilly as the crowed roared in agreement. Vlad held up a long piece of paper. "Besides, haven't you wondered why you were called to this town meeting? We've all signed a petition stating that you should permanently leave Amity Park, for good". Danny floated down and snatched the paper out of Vlad's hand. As he looked it over, he couldn't help a look of pain that crossed his face. The first two names were of two people he loved the most.

Maddie Fenton and Jack Fenton.

"No" he whispered.

"Yes" said Vlad as he snatched the parchment back. "I think you should leave"

"You won't get away with this, Plasmious" Danny said, venom dripping from is words.

"Oh, but I think I already have" Vlad said, sending him another smirk as the crowd continued to shout.

Danny turned his back on Vlad as he stepped to the microphone Vlad had been using to arouse the crowd at his so called 'rally to rid the town of its true menace'. As Danny opened his mouth to speak, he was answered by a number of boo's.

_But you spit me out  
Your stomach full of doubt  
And still you're faking every word out of your mouth_

"Fine" Danny yelled to the crowd. "I'll leave you be. I will go as far away from here as I possibly can to get away from you people" he paused as a round of applause and cheers rang from the crowed. "But I just want you to know that you didn't just run one person out of town, you ran two!" The crowd went silent as two blue rings passed over him, and Danny Phantom changed to Danny Fenton. "And when you're precious 'mayor' finally does betray you, don't expect me to help" and with that, he changed back to Phantom and flew over the crowd and towards his home.

_When you won't let go_

_It's all about control_

_Understand I'm born to lead you will follow_

If he was going to leave he needed to pack a few things. As soon as he saw the giant Fenton Works sign, he sped up and flew straight to his room. When he entered, he was shocked to find Jazz already there, putting clothes and other things into a suitcase.

"Jazz, what are you doing" he asked.

She jumped a little and spun around. It was then he realized she had tears in her eyes.

"Well, if you're going to leave, I thought I'd pack a few of your things for you" she said, her voice straining a little as she tried to hold back tears.

"Oh Jazz" he said as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He felt a few tears trickle down her cheeks and onto his neck. "How did you know" he asked.

"I was watching it on TV. I just wish it didn't have to be like this" she said, pulling away reluctantly. "It's not fair! You did so much to protect this town and they're just throwing you out like you're a piece of garbage".

"I know, but I have a feeling that Vlad is plotting something bigger, so please, if you stay here for college, watch out for anything suspicious" he said, moving to the bathroom to grab a tooth brush and tooth paste. He threw them in the bag and zipped it up. "Where are mom and dad?"

"They were at the rally"

"Then I guess they should be bursting in here any moment" he said dryly. As if on cue, he heard the sound of the front door being slammed shut and the sound of frantic footsteps on the stairs. His bedroom door burst open as Sam and Tucker ran through.

"Oh thank god!" Sam cried as she threw her arms around Danny. "We thought you had already left"

"No, but I'm about to" he said, gesturing towards the suitcase.

"Well, then I'm coming with you" Sam said as she picked up her own suitcase, one Danny hadn't noticed before. He grinned a bit, then got serious.

"You know I won't be coming back right? You'll probably never see your family again"

Sam scoffed. "Humph, good riddance. Ever since Grandma died they've been extra controlling. I won't miss it"

Danny smiled again, then turned to Tucker. "What about you. Do you want to come?"

"Nah dude, I think ill pass. Having to watch you two lovebirds make out all the time would make me sick" he laughed at his friend's expressions, then turned serious. "Besides, you'll need someone to watch over the town in any case of a ghost attack"

Danny reached out and gave his best friend a hug. "Thanks Tuck"

"Don't worry, dude. It's going to be okay. Here, take this with you" Tucker as he handed Danny a walkie talkie. "It's on a special frequency that nobody can tap into so if we need to contact each other, we can"

Tears brimmed in Danny's, but he quickly blinked them away. "Okay, we need to go" he said as he put the walkie talkie in his bag. He then turned and gave Jazz one more lasting hug. When he pulled away he told her something that made her jaw drop.

"Jazz, when Vlad showed me the names of everyone who signed the petition, mom and dad's names were the very first on there"

All three gasped. "No" Jazz whispered.

"Yes, I don't want to believe it either, but it's true. So when they get home, please tell them what happened to me"

She nodded, tears threatening to spill. "I will"

"I love you, big sis. And tell mom and dad… well; tell them they got what they wanted" Sam gave Tucker one last hug, then Danny took her waist as she put her hand on his.

"We'll definitely see you later" Tucker said, more a question than a statement.

Danny looked at him. "I hope so Tuck. I pray to god that this will pass" and with that, he and Sam shot up through the roof and into the night sky.

_Now I don't wanna stay  
I'm running away  
Don't you hear me when I say  
Goodbye...so long...nice try...I'm gone_

As they flew, all the people below just stared at him. Some shook their fists and yelled something incoherent. Others just stared, pain and hate mixed into one on their faces.

_You don't like being second  
I don't like being wrong  
I won't forget the way you made me feel  
I won't regret running away from here  
You think you see the world well you see nothing  
Time is only gonna make it worse in the end  
So I'll say goodbye again_

He just stared back at them. He hated how they looked at him like he was some weird alien from another planet locked in a zoo.

_Now it's there to see  
You've forgotten me  
Ever since I was the prince among Thieves  
So you hold me down  
Strip away my crown  
Can't contain me knowing all the truth I found  
Always thinking small  
Helping me to fail  
Now you're jealousy and hate consumes us all  
_

"Sam?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

She smiled at him. "Danny, I don't think I've ever been surer of anything in my life"

Danny smiled at her. "God Sam, I love you" he said as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"\E aloha wau ia 'oe na kau a kau" she said back.

"What?"

She giggled. "It's Hawaiian. It means 'I shall love you forever'."

Danny could only smile as he continued to fly. But his smile didn't last long as he noticed something on the street. Out of nowhere a giant van came burrowing its way down the road. Danny paid no attention to it till it came to a sudden halt and it pulled over. Two people jumped put and stared up at him.

_I don't wanna stay  
I'm running away  
Don't you hear me when i say_

_Goodbye…so long…nice try…I'm gone_

He stopped for a moment and stared back. He could see that the women had been crying. They didn't do anything for a moment, then the women started waving for him to come down. He continued to stare, then raised his free hand and gave a slow wave to them.

_Don't hit me with you fears  
I won't fit with your ideas  
You missed what I'm about  
I earned my way out  
And in the end_

"Goodbye Mom. Bye Dad" he whispered, then looked at Sam. She gave him a small but comforting smile. He returned it, then they both flew into the sunset, neither of them looking back.

_I'll say goodbye again_


	2. 18 years later

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

18 years later

"How did this happen so quickly" he thought as he dodged shots and sent them back. "It's only been a day" The man did a barrel roll and landed on one knee. He shot some more ecto blasts at the sky. He wore a black muscle shirt with and camouflage pants, a black belt with all his guns and a radio hung from his waist. His combat boots slapped noisily on the broken pavement as he ran for cover. He ducked by the side of a building and brought out the walkie talkie. "Danny? Danny, come in. Can you here me?" Only the sound of static was his reply. "Danny, please answer. We are under attack. Vlad has struck without warning. Help…"  
"Tucker, look out"  
Tucker looked up just in time to see an ecto blast coming straight for him. He ducked it and sent another blast back. "Thanks Jazz" he yelled back as he continued to blast. "How are you holding up?"  
"Pretty good" Jazz said after she sent a spin kick towards a specter. She had decided to try karate after Danny was forced to leave. She ended up graduating with her black belt and teaching a class to kids as her part time job.  
"Good, because it looks like there's more coming" Tucker said as he looked to the skies. Hoards of ghosts filled the skies and it looked like more were on their way.  
"Have you tried Danny?" Jazz asked as she shot at the ghosts that where closing in on them.  
"I just did but I'll try again" Tucker reached around to the back of his belt and pulled off a walkie talkie. As he switched it on, a deafening boom came from what seemed like a few feet away. Tucker was thrown several feet before he hit the ground. He quickly grabbed the walkie talkie that had fallen, but before he could reach it, it crackled to life. It was broken and faint, but he could just make out two words.  
"Were coming"  
Tucker stared at the communicator for a moment, then was startled back as more beams of energy rained down for the sky. Flashes of red, green and pink were seen everywhere. Tucker stood up and ran towards the sound of the blast. When he reached the site, he found Maddie and Jack blasting every ghost that got in close enough range. Even thought they were in their sixties, they still moved better than he did. Maddie did a double back flip as she dodged attacks and let out a few of her own. Jack, who had lost a considerable amount of weight, had redesigned many of his weapons, and used one as a giant vacuum. He now used it to suck in any ghost who ventured close to him. They both worked as a pretty good team now. They were even able to capture a ghost a week before Vlad's attack. That's how they were able to prepare and warn the town. Of course, no one believed them until he actually attacked. Now here they were, fighting for their lives, with no way of knowing what will happen. Still, they kept fighting. Tucker ran and started blasting along with them.  
"Tucker, any sign from him?" Jack yelled as he dodged.  
Tucker couldn't help a little grin, but before he could answer they were all thrown across the street from a surprise attack. Skulker swooped down and laughed at them.  
"Look at you. You think you can defeat the all powerful master of the ghost zone" he said with a laugh. "Your pathetic"  
"Its not that we think, Skulker, it's that we know" Jazz said as she gave him a kick from behind that sent him flying into a building.  
"Nice one Jazzy pants" said Jack with a grin.  
"Look out, here comes more" Maddie said as she watched more ghosts appear. They all got in their fighting stance, but before they could do anything, purple shots rained from the sky behind them.  
"What in the world" asked Jack?  
As if to answer his question, a girl ran past all of them as she continued to blast the ghosts. It was as if she had done it before. A ghost flew up right behind her, but before it could lift a finger she suddenly jumped higher tan any normal human could. It took the ghost by surprise as well because it was too stunned to stop the attack that blasted it to smithereens. She turned confidently and ran towards another group of ghosts. It was then Tucker got a good look at her eyes.  
"No" he whispered. "It can't be."

The girl blasted a few more, and then looked at the group.

"Hello! I could use some help here"

That seemed to snap everyone out of their trance.

"Oh, right" Jack said as he got down on one knee and started blasting with a new gun. This one shot out electrical beams that aimed for anything that had a trace of ectoplasm. Maddie pulled out the Jack-O-Nine Tails and pointed it to a group of ghosts heading their way. In a matter of seconds they were a pile of dust. Jazz and Tucker double teamed as they went back- to- back while blasting every ghost and skeleton they saw. The girl flew around and smashed ghosts into buildings and the street. After about ten minutes of fighting, they had finally won.

"I think we won" said Tucker, panting.

"We won the battle, but not the war" said Jazz. Ever since her brother was banished, she had become harsher than before. She still hadn't forgiven anyone who signed the petition, even her parents. She still loved them, but she still couldn't believe that they were so blind to the fact that they were banishing their own son.

"If it wasn't for that girl we would've been dead" said Jack, looking towards the street. The girl was standing about twenty feet away from them.

"Yes, but who is she?" Maddie asked to no one in particular.

The mysterious girl stood there for a moment with her wrist to her mouth. She seemed to be speaking into a watch like thing. After about a minute, she turned and walked towards the group. She had on a light purple spaghetti strap tank top with a crescent moon on the front. Her skirt was white with purple flares and her boots were white with purple accents. She wore a necklace with a black DP pendant. But what stunned them the most was her hair and eyes. She had long, pure white hair that hung about three inches below her shoulder. She had a group of hair dyed purple that hung on the right side of her face. Her eyes were a deep amethyst color.

"Doesn't she remind you of…?" Jazz trailed off, but Tucker knew what she was about to say.

"Yeah, but she can't be, can she?" Tucker whispered back.

When the girl reached them, she gave them a small smile. "Hi" was all she said.

"Um, hi" Maddie said awkwardly. She looked the girl over one more time, then asked "How come you don't look like a ghost?"

The question seemed to catch the girl by surprise. "What?"

"You were flying and shooting ecto blasts, but you look completely human. Why is that?"

"Oh. Well, my father is half ghost and my mother was human, so I'm 25 ghost, 75 human" the girl said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "And I cant really fly, but I'll explain that later."

"Wait, you mean you're…" Jack started, but was lost in thought before he could finish.

"Yeah. My name is Sage Fenton. My Father is Danny Fenton and my mother was Sam Manson"

"Oh man, this gives me unlimited teasing rights now" Tucker said with a grin.

Sage laughed. "Dad had said you would say that"

"Wait" Jazz said thoughtfully. Jazz took a step toward Sage. "Why did you say Sam's name in past tense?" she said a little fearfully.

Sage's smile vanished and was replaced by a looked of pure sadness. But before she could say anything, they all heard and explosion.

"That came from downtown" said Jack.

"Come on, we need to get inside where it's safer" Maddie said and she ushered everyone into Fenton Works. Once inside, Sage looked around the living room. "Wow" she whispered. "It looks exactly the same as the pictures" she slowly walked over to the couch. "This is where they had their first kiss"

"Sage, would you like to sit down" Maddie asked tenderly.

Sage continued to stare at the couch for a moment, then said "yes, thank you". She walked over and sat in the arm chair. Everyone else took seats around her.

"Sage, what happened to Sam" Tucker asked, fearing what he was about to hear.

Sage stayed quiet for a good minute, as if to gather her thoughts. She finally said what they were dreading to hear. "She was killed when I was three".

"H-how" Tucker said shakily after no one else spoke up.

Sage sighed. "She had just put me to bed. I woke up to a loud crash from downstairs. So I got up to see what was going on. When I got to the top of the stairs I could hear my dad yell 'get her out of here. I'll be alright' then another crash as dad was thrown through the wall. Dad was in his ghost form, so I knew it was serious. I ran down the stairs to make sure he was okay, but he pushed me away and told me to run. Then a ghost appeared in front of us and lunged, but before he could reach us, dad grabbed me and ran into the living room. Mom had just grabbed a gun, then she took me as dad said 'run', then he flew back to where the ghost was. Mom ran for the backdoor, but once we were about five feet away, another ghost appeared and knocked me and my mom down. Mom started shooting at it, but it wasn't doing any good. The ghost just absorbed whatever mom threw at it, so I tried to shoot an ecto blast at it. But that just made it worse…" Sage trailed off as another tear fell. She took a deep breath.

"The ghost turned on me. It held up its hand as it charged a huge ball of energy, then it shot it at me. I didn't have time to move, so I closed my eyes. All I heard was this 'bang' then a loud 'thud'. When I opened my eyes, I saw my mom lying still right in front of me. The ghost lie dead a few feet in front of us, the gun shot still visible on its head. I crawled next to mom and tried to get her to get up, but she wouldn't. She was as still as a rock" she finished with a whisper.

"What about Danny" Maddie asked quietly.

"Well that's when dad found us. His cries were the worst sound I have ever heard" She fell silent after that.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

It felt as if anyone moved a muscle, their world would shatter.

"So, what did you mean you couldn't really fly" Tucker asked, eager to break the silence.

Sage looked up at him. "I meant that I can't really fly, but I can defy gravity by being able to jump high and long distances."

"So how many of Danny's powers did you get?" Jazz asked curiously.

"Well, I can shoot ecto blasts, create a ghostly shield, turn invisible and intangible, and I have a ghostly wail."

"Wow, you got tricked out, didn't you" Tucker said.

Sage laughed. "I'm not anywhere near being as powerful as my father, but yeah, I did. Dad says I got a lot of my mom in me too."

The room fell into silence again, nobody really sure what to say.

"Sage, come in. Please answer. Are you alright?" cried a frantic male voice. Everyone in the room jumped a mile except for Sage.

"Sorry" she said. "Wrist watch communicator" She lifted her left wrist close to her mouth and said "I'm okay dad. What about you?"

Maddie could have sworn she heard Danny say "oh thank god" quietly before asking "Where are you?"

"I'm at your old house."

There was silence on Danny's end. After about 10 seconds he asked "are my parents there?"

Sage looked at Maddie and Jack and said "Yes"

After another 5 seconds of silence he said "I'm on my way"


	3. Finally home

**Read this first**

**I added an extra paragraph in the last chapter explaining some of Sage's powers. I decided she cant fly, but she can jump really far and long distances if she wants too. She can also use a ghostly wail, go invisible and intangible, and she can create a force field.**

* * *

"I'm on my way. I love you" then the communicator shut off.

Silence filled the room as everyone absorbed what they had just heard.

"So…" Maddie paused. "He's coming?"

"Yeah, it looks like our boy is finally coming home" said Jack as he put an arm around his wife.

Maddie's eyes filled with tears, but not tears of happiness. "But… what will he say to us. What will we say to him? We were the ones who threw him out"

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when no sound came out.

"It wasn't just your mistake, it was everyone's" Jazz said as she walked up to her mother and gave her a hug.

"He still loves you, you know"

"What?" Maddie whimpered.

Sage smiled. "He always told me that you two were the best ghost hunters". Even though you messed up sometimes, you were always number one in his book. You still are. While we were coming down here he kept saying how excited he was to see all of you again, but he was also really nervous"

"Why?" asked Jack.

"He wasn't sure how you'd react to him or me."

"I can't believe we've driven our only son away from us like this" whispered Maddie. "When will he be here" She looked up to see Sage looking out the window.

"Sage…" Maddie started.

Sage turned her gaze to her grandmother. "He's here now"

"What" Tucker asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

"He just landed and he should knock right about… now" as soon as the words left her mouth, a knock come from the door.

For a few moments, everyone stood still, looking at the door expectantly.

"Do you want me to answer" Sage asked, sensing the anticipation. When no one answered, she walked over and pulled he door open. "Hey dad" she said, smiling.

"Oh Sage, thank god your okay" Danny said, wrapping his daughter in a hug.

"I was trained by the best dad" She said, pulling away. "I think I can handle myself."

"I know you can, but still. I can't really help it" Danny smiled, but the smile didn't last long as he noticed his family looking at him. But before Danny could say anything, Jazz had pulled him into a hug. Without a second thought he wrapped his arms around her shaking body. They stood there for a good minute, holding each other, and then Jazz pulled away and looked at Danny. His hair held the same style it did when he was a teenager, but it was just a little longer. He had grown several inches and was now as tall as Jack. His baby blue eyes were as pure as ever, although they looked tired. His dark blue t-shirt hung close to his body, showing off his muscles. His blue jeans were ripped in several places.

"You've changed a lot" Jazz said.

"Not really" Danny smiled.

Seeing his smile caused Jazz to squeal and jump on Danny for another hug. He laughed and spun her around a few times before he set her down.

"Welcome home, little brother" She said.

He smiled at her, but didn't say anything.

"Good to have you back, dude"

Danny turned to see Tucker, and they both broke out into huge grins. They gave each other a hug, along with a few pats on the back. When they split apart, Tucker asked "where have you been living?"

"I can't say, but we've been hiding under the name 'Smith' " Danny said. "It's such a common last name that it wouldn't be easy to find us if someone was trying to. How have you been? You look good."

"I've been great. Valarie and I started dating a few months ago"

"What?! Really that's great but, has she warmed up to me yet?" Danny asked nervously.

Tucker smiled. "Don't worry, dude. She was on your side the day you revealed yourself".

Danny winced a little at the memory, and then smiled. "Good. It's great to see you again, Tuck"

"It's great to see you again too, man" They pulled each other into another hug. Their reunion was interrupted, though, by' someone clearing their throat. Danny looked around for the source of the noise, only to see his parents watching him nervously. He stepped away from Tucker and faced his parents. They were silent for a moment before Danny said "I'm sorry".

Maddie started at him, shocked. "Why are you sorry?" she asked. "You didn't ask for any of this. We were the ones who threw you out. We were the ones who ruined your life with our careless actions" she finished with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh Mom, you didn't ruin my life" he said. "I've had a wonderful marriage and a beautiful daughter." He gestured to Sage, and she smiled.

He smiled back, and then turned back to his parents. "And now, here I am. Standing with the ones I love. I…"

He was cut off as Maddie fell into his arms. He held her as she sobbed into his chest.

"…I love you" He finished in her ear.

It was Jacked turn to speak. "But how can you. We banished you from here. We banished our only son. How can you possibly love us?"

"Because you're my parents and I could never hate you. All that is in the past, and we should look to the future." Danny finished.

Before he could say anything more, Jack had joined the hug. They all held each other for a good minute before looking at each other.

"My god, how you've grow" Maddie said, touching his cheek lightly.

"Well, yeah. That's what happens when eighteen years pass" Danny said with a smile. "Now, I'm sure you've all met my daughter" he said as he put his arm around Sage.

"Yes, we have. And were thrilled about it" Jazz said, smiling. "I always wanted a niece"

"She's definitely got the phantom blood in her. "And she's as beautiful as Sam, too" Tucker said, making Sage smile.

Danny looked at her. "Have you told them yet?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah, I did. I felt they deserved to know."

"Thanks" he said quietly.

There was a few moments silence until Sage said "she's happy, wherever she is. I don't think she'd want us to mourn her."

"No, she wouldn't. She never liked people fanning over her." Danny said with a small smile. "She didn't even like the nurses tending to her after Sage was born.

"That doesn't surprise me" Tucker said with a smile. "Hey, remember when she got that cold and her parents hired all those doctors to look in on her. She about tore her hair out" he finished with a laugh.

"Yeah" Danny laughed with him. "And what about the time I was the judge of that stupid beauty pageant…"

"A beauty pageant?" Sage asked suspiciously. "How the heck did mom let you get away with that one?"

Danny and Tucker laughed.

"Well, I didn't choose to be, the women who ran the thing chose me to do it. But then she turned out to be some fire breathing dragon from The Ghost Zone who wanted to make the winner of the pageant marry her brother who just so happened to be a prince." Danny finished matter-o-factly.

"Oh, okay. So what happened" Sage asked.

"Well, your mom figured all this out before and tried to warn me, but before I knew what was going on I accidently picked her to be the winner. And then she was taken to the Ghost Zone and held hostage until Tucker and me could help her."

"Yeah, but by the time we got there she had made a total ruckus of the place" Tucker said as laughed again, wiping a tear from his eye.

Danny smiled. I don't think she needed our help, but that's what friends are for."

"A little more than just friends"

"Shut up Tuck" Danny said playfully.

"You do know that this gives me ultimate teasing rights"

Danny smiled.

"She said you would say that" Danny and Sage said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. Soon, everyone else in the room had joined in. The happy moment was short lived, however, when Danny and Sage's wrist watches started beeping rapidly.

"Crap, why can't they leave us alone?" Sage said as she typed something in her watch.

"Welcome to Amity Park, Sweetie" Jazz said.

"Danny, what's going on?" Jack asked.

Danny looked up and said one word. "Ghost's"

--

"_Everything was going so well" _Sage thought as she jumped across town. _"Why the hell does the entire freaking ghost civilization have to come at the worst possible moments?" _She landed on the ground for a second to blast away a few ghosts that appeared in front of her. _"We were just starting to act like a normal family." _She ended up making herself so mad she blasted a nearby tree. It crashed to the ground, crushing everything underneath.

"Shit" she whispered under her breath. Now she was mad at herself. She hadn't meant to do that, it was just sometimes she lost control.

"I definitely have to work on that" she said as she leapt off the ground again. About half way up, however, a blast suddenly hit her from behind. She was thrown towards a building, but right before she hit it, she threw a shield around her.

"What the…" she asked herself as she got up. She looked around for her attacker, and gasped at who she saw. A huge black and purple dragon looked down at her. Bright blue fire burst from his nostrils.

"What do you want" she yelled up at him.

The dragon answered by shooting flames straight for her. She jumped straight up and landed on its head. She then started shooting it with ecto blasts. The dragon screeched in pain and tried to throw her off. Finally it succeeded, but she went intangible and fazed through the ground. The dragon looked around, confused. It screeched in pain as Sage let out a huge ecto blast from behind. The dragon crashed into a building and disappeared in the smoke. Everything was still for a moment. Sage listened for anything. She heard a snap from behind and shot a blast towards the sound.

"Whoa, hey. Watch it…" said a voice, but before Sage could hear what else he was saying, she was blasted from behind. Intense pain flooded her body as she collapsed on the ground. She lost conciseness for a moment, then looked up. She heard the dragon screech in pain, followed by a loud "Crash".

"Wha…" she said as she sat up and rubbed her head.

"Don't move" came a voice.

She blinked to send away the blurriness in her vision to see a boy looking at her. The boy looked to be about 16 or 17. He had raven black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a striped gray and black shirt and black cargo pants. He was looking at her intently.

"Are you okay" he asked.

"Um, yeah, I think so" she said, rubbing her head.

"Good. Next time stay out of my way and you wont get hurt"

Tat snapped her back in an instant. "Excuse me" she said, standing up. "Don't get in your way? You were in my way."

"Uh, newsflash. I was the one fighting the dragon in the first place, and winning, might I add, until you showed up and start blasting him with whatever you were using. Your technique was way off and that's why you made me get distracted. But don't worry, the dragons gone now."

Sage's hand started to glow a bright purple. "You want me to blast you" she said threateningly. That caused the boy to shrink back a little.

"What are you" he asked.

"Not what, who" she said through gritted teeth. "The name's Sage, and I've been fighting ghost almost all my life so don't you dare criticize me on my technique."

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay sorry."

Sage sighed. "Me too. I let my temper get out of control sometimes. But my god, your ego's about as big as Texas."

"Heh, I got told that a lot, actually."

"Go figure" Sage said, crossing her arms. "So what's your name?"

"Cain"

"Really? Where'd your parents get that?"

"They didn't, I did. I have no idea who my parents are. I've been living alone for as long as I can remember."

"Wow. Sorry" she said uncomfortably. "If you want, you could come stay at my grandparent's house."

"Really?" he asked unenthusiastically. "What are your grandparent's names?"

"Maddie and Jack Fenton. They're really nice and I'm sure they'd be happy…" she trailed off when she noticed the look on Cain's face. It was a look of utter revolt and loathing.

"What" she asked nervously.

"Huh?" he asked, and then shook his head. "Sorry, I don't like the Fenton's."

"What's wrong with the Fenton's?"

He just shook his head and turned away.

"Hey, don't just walk away. Answer me" she yelled after him. She took a step to follow him, but someone called her name.

"Sage"

She looked behind her to see Tucker running towards her.

"Are you okay" he asked. "Danny sent me this way because he saw smoke rising everywhere."

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she trailed off when she noticed Cain was gone.

"Sage?"

"Hm?"

"You had this really blank look on your face."

"Oh sorry. It's just; there was this boy who helped me fight the dragon."

"What dragon."

"The dragon that caused all this damage. Anyway, he helped me, while being rude about it, and then ran off."

"That was the look Danny used to give Sam before he realized he liked her."

"Really? Well…Tucker!" She said sharply, catching what he was aiming at. "I do not like him!"

"Sure" Tucker said with a smile.

Sage sighed. "Now I know why mom always said you were annoying."

"Hey, I am not annoying. I'm just that good at guessing people's feelings."

Sage rolled her eyes and started to walk back towards Fenton Works. As she walked, she wondered why Cain didn't like her family. They hadn't done anything wrong, well, except for her dad being banished under false pretenses. She and Tucker walked until several more ghosts blocked their path.

"Ugh, here we go again" Sage grumbled,

--

"_Wait, what's wrong with the Fenton's?" _Her question rang over and over in his ears as he walked through the streets. He wanted to answer her, but what could he say. He could tell her the truth. That would make him sound crazy. He sighed and looked at the sky as drops of rain began to fall.

"The truth is I don't know" he whispered to no one.

* * *

**okay, so there ya have it. I really hope you liked it**


	4. Memories

"Whew," he sighed as he changed back to his human form. He had been fighting ghosts all day with the help of his family. He knew his daughter could take care of herself, but they had separated earlier that day in order to fight more ghosts at the same time. But that had been 5 hours ago. The sun was beginning to set, so he couldn't help being worried. He ran across the street and up the stairs of his childhood home. He didn't bother opening the door. Instead he phased through, the sweet and familiar sent of cookies greeting him. He immediately turned left and went into the kitchen. At the table sat Tucker, Jazz, and Jack. His mother was taking the cookies out of the oven. He smiled for a moment, and then realized who was missing.

"Where's Sage" he asked, slightly frantic. Was she still out fighting?

Everyone looked up, startled by his sudden appearance.

Jazz smiled at him and pointed into the living room. He turned and looked through the door. His eyes landed on Sage sleeping on the couch. She looked so peaceful his heart almost melted. She looked so much like Sam he could hardly stand it. Her eyes and hair were the most gorgeous things he's ever seen. He turned around to his parents.

"Can I put Sage in my old bedroom?"

Maddie smiled warmly. "Danny you didn't have to ask. We tried to get her to go up there a few minutes ago but she wanted to wait for you."

Danny couldn't help but grin as he walked back into the living room. He gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he walked up the stairs. _She's as stubborn as Sam, _he thought with a smile. When he reached the landing she sighed in her sleep and nestled her head against his chest. He quietly opened the door to his old room and gasped. Everything was exactly as he had left it. The closet door was still open, his clothes scattered the floor, even his unfinished homework stayed where he had left it. The only difference was that the place had been dusted. He walked over and laid Sage on his bed. As he pulled up the covers, he gently kissed her on the forehead. Then he quietly whispered to her something he hadn't said since she was eight.

"Out of all the little girls in the world, if I had to pick just one, it would be you." He walked to the door and just before he closed it, he turned back and whispered "I love you." He began to close the door slowly, but right before he shut it entirely, he heard a faint reply.

"Daddy, love you more."

------

He walked back downstairs and found everyone where he left them. When he walked in everyone looked up again.

"What" he asked innocently.

"Nothing" Jazz said. "I think were all still trying to get a hold of the idea that your actually here with us."

"Oh" he said as he took a seat at the table.

"She reminds me so much of Sam, you know" Tucker said.

"Yeah" Danny said with a smile. "Same attitude, same beliefs, and same eating habits."

"She's a vegetarian too?" asked Jack.

"Yep, and she's proud of it."

"How old is she?" Maddie asked as she set a plate of cookies on the table. "She looks 17."

"She's 16. She turns 17 on October 31"

"Awesome" said Tucker as he grabbed a cookie.

"So how long has this been going on?" asked Danny.

"What, the fighting? It started about three years ago, but at the beginning it wasn't nearly as bad," Jazz said as she stirred the cup of tea she was drinking. "We were keeping a close watch on Vlad, waiting for him to attack, but he never did. Then one day ghosts started to pour out of the ghost zone and we couldn't stop it. Goodness knows we tried, and a lot of people were killed before we could destroy them all. The day after we held an emergency town meeting to expose Vlad for what he really was, because we knew that somehow he was behind this. But the townspeople only scorned and laughed at us. And that's when Vlad decided to grace us with his presence. He strode in like he was king of the world and basically shot us down. After that meeting we had people ride by the house almost every night and thro rocks or bricks at the windows. That's when Mom and Dad built a 'human' shield. The only one of its kind, it could deflect all things human. People finally got the message and stopped trying, but we were the laughing stock of the town after that. But that didn't stop us. We continued to try to tell people, and some believed us. But most didn't. The people that did believe joined us, but Vlad did everything in his power to stop us. When he didn't succeed, I guess he felt we were a threat because a few days later he launched his biggest attack, the one were fighting now," Jazz hadn't looked up since she started explaining, and when she did she saw Danny staring blankly at the wall.

"Danny?", she asked cautiously.

"I loath that man. He caused so much pain, so much suffering I could just-", he stopped and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?", he whispered.

"Done? Danny you've done nothing wrong," Maddie said desperately. "What in the world gave you that idea?"

"Because I ran away from my problems when you needed me the most. If I had been here then maybe I could've helped save all those people who died…"

"Danny, now stop it," Maddie said sharply. "What's done is done, and I doubt you could've helped us if you had been here. But you're here now, and that's what counts. So stop moping and give us that big, goofy grin you used to wear so often."

Danny lifted his head up and looked to every one of his family members. Jazz, the best big sister anyone could ask for. Tucker, the clumsy, almost brother who was fearless when it came to women. Maddie, the one ho always knew what to say to make you feel better and was an expert on creating weapons to protect their family. And Jack, the big guy who could make a mess of things in an instant but would always try to fix things. So he smiled.

"Thanks guys, Sam would be proud."

"She is proud," Tucker said truthfully. "Cant you feel her. Right here," he put his hand to his heart and smiled.

"And she's right upstairs," Danny whispered.

"That she is," said Maddie. "And speaking of that, we should be doing the same thing."

Jack let out a big yawn and everyone agreed. Right before they departed, though, Danny raised his glass of milk and said, "I think we should have a toast."

"To whom, Danny?", Jack asked.

"To all who gave and lost their lives in this fight, this is for you," everyone raised their glasses and gently knocked them together. Then they said good night and parted ways.

* * *

_If I needed you,_

_Would you come to me?_

_Would you come to me?_

_And ease my pain._

"Mom!", she cried as she bolted upright. The only reply she got was silence. She looked around the dark room and realized it had all been a dream. A horrible, teasing, yet wonderful dream. She had been in her room, lying on her stomach as her mom scratched her back and lulled her to sleep. Sam had sung that to her every night before she died to help her sleep. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she tried not to let herself cry. She looked around the strange room. She threw the covers off and stood up. Clothes were strewn all over the floor.

_Jeez, whoever's room this is, they were a total slob_, she thought. She picked up a shirt nearest her. It was white with a red circle in the middle and red strips at the sleeves. _This looks familiar,_ she thought, _but why?_ She noticed several papers on the desk across the room. As she walked over to them, careful to not trip, she quickly realized where she was as she read the name on the papers.

"No way," she breathed as she looked around. "This is dad's old room." More tears formed in her eyes when she realized that her mom had been in the same place as she was right now. She could be standing in the footsteps of her. Suddenly she realized she hadn't seen her father before she fell asleep. She quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake anyone else up. She crept onto the landing and saw two rooms. She opened the door as silently as she could and saw Jazz lying in her bed. The second held her grandparents. She walked down the stairs to find Tucker sprawled out on the couch. His mouth was hanging open and a bit of drool was making its way down his chin. She laughed silently, and then she noticed the empty sleeping bag on the floor. She looked around, puzzled. She could see that he wasn't in the kitchen, and the living room was the only other room down there. She scanned the room once more to make sure she hadn't missed anything, and there it was. Standing so dark and lonely in the corner was a door. Curious, she walked over to it and turned the knob. Darkness greeted her first, and then a flight of stairs came into view as her eyes adjusted. She could see a faint glow of light illuminating the landing as she slowly descended to the bottom. As she stepped into the big room, she gasped. What looked like motor parts littered the floor, unfinished projects filled the tables, and what amazed her most was the swirling green vortex at the end of the room. Her eyes widened as she got closer.

"What in the world?", she whispered.

"Pretty amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah," she was used to him sneaking up on her, so she wasn't surprised when she turned to see her father walk up and stand beside her.

"What is it?", she asked.

"This," he breathed, "is the thing that gave me my ghost powers."

"What?" Sage gasped

"Yeah, I know, it's kind of hard for me to believe too, but this is it."

"H-how?" She tripped over her words a bit. "I mean…how?"

Danny chuckled a bit at her amazement. "Well, to be totally honest, I wasn't the one who convinced me to go into this thing in the first place. I'll give you one guess to who it was."

Sage smiled confidently. "Mom."

"Mom," Danny smiled at the memory. "When my parents first built this thing she and I were fourteen. We had just gotten home from school and we were bored. Tucker was there too, and he and Sam wanted to see the portal. Mom and Dad weren't home, so I reluctantly said alright. I had no idea what this thing could do, and I really didn't want to know. I can remember exactly what she said to get me in the portal. She said 'Come on Danny, a Ghost Zone. Aren't you curious? You gotta check it out' and so I did. But I have to point out that I was very clumsy back then-"

She had to laugh. "Was? You still are now!"

He gave her a playful push. "Aw, hush up and let me have my moment."

She laughed again but let him continue.

"Anyways, I put on a jumpsuit and walked inside, but I accidentally tripped on a bunch of loose wires. When I did I reached my hand out to try to steady myself, but I ended up pressing the 'On' button. Next thing I knew I was zapped with the energy from the portal. God, I don't think I've ever felt so much pain before, but thankfully it only lasted about 10 seconds," he winced a little at the memory. "Unfortunately, those 10 seconds felt like forever to me. I blacked out before it stopped, and when I woke up I saw you mom and Tucker leaning over me. They looked terrified. I can't really blame them though, because that was the first time I had gone into 'ghost mode'. They actually thought I was dead. And to be honest I did to until I changed back. So yeah, that was the beginning of it all. If it wasn't for your mom and Tuck, I think I would've los it."

"So, you're- our- ghost powers were a result of something mom convinced you to do?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She through a fist up into the air as she yelled, "All right Mom!"

Danny laughed. "Yeah, go Sam!" he mimicked his daughter's movements. She smiled at the way she did the time she defeated her first ghost. It made him grin even more. She turned back to the portal.

"Hey Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think Moms out there? In the Ghost zone, I mean?"

He thought for a moment. "You know, I have often wondered that myself. And to be honest, I don't think she is. I think she moved on to where she can watch over us until it's our time to be with her again. But wherever she is now, I know she's proud of you." Danny reached out his arm and Pulled Sage closer to him. They stood there for a moment, arms around each other, basking in the glow of the portal.

"Hey Dad."

"Yeah?"

"She's proud of you too."

He smiled, remembering the time she actually said that too him. Sage sounded so much like her.

"Thanks, Sage."


	5. Authors Note dont worry, itz good newz

_Hey guys, if you are reading this now, I just want to say thank you for sticking with this story for so long. I also wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving you hanging like that, but your waiting will soon be over! Why, you ask? Becauz I have made a vow to finish this story no matter what it takez!!! I have the last chapter in my head right now, and I really wanna type it up, but before I do that I've got to get the rest up. So here is your proof of me promising that I **WILL** update this story soon! I'm having a very bad case of writers block, but this has been put off long enough!_

_P.S. to all of you who didn't like the way some of the things are going in this story, I plan on re-writing the first 4 chapters, but only after I get the rest done. For example, a couple people didn't like Danny's reunion with his parents, and I agree with you. Just wanted to get that out in the clear._


End file.
